New York Day 3

Rich and I have each faithfully kept a written travel journal for every trip we've taken together since 1997, but this is the first year I'm doing it electronically. Initially I was a bit anxious/nostalgic about no longer using a notepad and pen, but I have to admit that once I realized how much quicker and easier it was to use my laptop- I was sold! So our second day in the city was much better- we slept in until we were greeted in bed by the arrival of my younger brother Joey (who had flown in that morning) and my parents (who have been tooling around the East Coast for a week).

Who says you can't teach a 1-year old (even a dangerous, apple-juice toting toddler like Ryan) how to ride the NYC subway system?

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After chowing down at the hotel's deluxe continental breakfast together we all hopped on the subway (referred to by Ryan as "Thomas Train," no matter what how much you try to tell him that Thomas is actually a little, blue, cheeky steam engine from the Island of Sodor, and what we're riding is the subway) for a trip to Times Square! And yes, we're rocking some fashionable rain gear!

As soon as we got to Times Square, Rich pointed out the cold, hard, little section of pavement that we had both occupied for over a dozen HOURS the last time we were here a few years ago for the New Years celebration!

Our first stop was Toys R Us (thanks for the correction, Deanna)! I remembered the first time we had gone there (can't remember if it was on our 1st or 2nd trip to the city) and was so wowed by their giant, indoor ferris wheel. And for whatever reason, I just could not stop thinking about it- I really wanted Ryan to ride it! Thankfully, Ryan was excited about doing it too! Since the last thing I felt like doing with my still-weak stomach was rotating around and around a ferris wheel, Uncle Joey & Daddy stepped up to the plate (although by the fourth rotation Uncle Joey began rolling his eyes and mouthing the words "OVER. IT." to me). ;-) Per Uncle Joey, everytime they went up Ryan would yell "Up! Up! Up!"

Jeez...he's acting like he's never seen a dinosaur before!

After perusing Toys R Us for awhile, my parents went to a NYFD Museum with Joseph, while we hit up the M&M store...gotta keep the trip kid-friendly and high-stimulus! Ryan danced with me (the music was loud there) on the main floor (much to the delight of many) for awhile before he started to get cranky and we took him back to the hotel for a nap. The child slept two a half hours (you know, because he'd only slept 13 hours the night before)! To his credit, he adjusted to the 6-hour time difference immediately!

I think the best part of the day was our late night dinner in Astoria at a little Greek restaurant called "Opa!" And it was so random, because we'd heard about the place from one our flight attendants. She had given us their card and told us to tell the owners that she sent us (with promises that they would take care of us...and man, did they!). The owner's wife greeted us with hugs and sent over not one, but two dishes (the first was fried zucchini covered in goat cheese with a butter garlic dippling sauce, the second one I'll just call baklava pudding since I can't remember the name) to supplement our gyros, mousaka, lamb, satanaki! When they brought out the satanaki (flaming cheese) with the hot, orange flames shooting out of it, I started to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ryan and he broke out into the hugest grin you've ever seen! He LOVES birthdays...anyone's birthday...and as soon we finished he tried to blow it all out! ;-) I think the place is legendary because we saw two pictures of Hilary Clinton on the wall (eating there) and a lady we talked to in the subway knew all about it. Sooo wouldn't mind going back, but there's still so much to see, eat and do!